Page 33 of Killer Honeymoon
Royce sighed and shook his head. “No one makes them like Evangeline.”
“Real butter and heavy whipping cream are her secret ingredients,” Sawyer told him.
“No wonder they’re so good.”
Sawyer chuckled and shook his head. “Those clouds will shift from harmless and fluffy to deadly and dark. Mark my words.”
Royce took a sip of coffee. “I bow to your wisdom. Put me to work.”
He expected instructions to take stock of the pantry and dry staples, but Sawyer’s to-do list exceeded anything so simple.
“We need to make sure the generator was properly stored for the season,” Sawyer said once they finished the grocery list. “We both know gas can go bad if it sits too long.”
Royce pointed to a few items on the sheet of paper. “Candles and matches? Why would we need those if we have a generator?”
“Because it only powers a portion of the house unlike the one we have at home,” Sawyer explained. “The kitchen, AC, and half the lights will be functional. The water heater would be too much of a drain, so we need disposable wet wipes.” He added an item to his grocery list before meeting Royce’s gaze again. “If this storm is severe, the power could still be out when we head home. We might need more than those LED candles we brought from home to illuminate other places.”
“Number one investment for our new vacation home is a generator to operate the entire house.”
“Agreed,” Sawyer said. “I just want to hire a licensed electrician to wire and connect the thing properly.”
Royce crossed his arms over his chest. “What are you saying about me?”
Sawyer looked up from the notebook and smirked. “Have you forgotten about the ceiling fan incident two weeks ago?”
Royce narrowed his eyes. He’d been so excited about the pretty fan he’d found at Sal’s hardware store. It had clear glass globes instead of the frosted crap, dimmable LED bulbs, and a remote control to operate both the lights and the fan. “That was one tiny mistake. I turned off the wrong circuit before installing the new fan.”
Sawyer snorted. “The tiny mistake resulted in a big ole jolt of electricity arcing through your body.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Royce refuted. It had actually been fucking awful. He’d nearly pissed himself, which would’ve probably gotten him electrocuted instead of just zapped.
“I hear ya, Sparky.” Sawyer spread his arms out and thrashed about violently.
Royce wanted to be pissed, but he knew it was an accurate imitation. “Asshole. So check the generator, then what?”
“We head to the general store and get supplies.”
Royce trudged out to the shed, unlocked it, and wheeled the generator out into the yard. It had been emptied of gas and stowed properly, so all Royce had to do was pour fresh gas into it and fire it up. “Guess I really do owe Gary and his crew an apology,” Royce grumbled as he returned the generator to the shed and locked it.
“Oh, hey,” Royce said when they entered the small, attached garage. It wasn’t big enough to park a car in, but it held all kinds of other delights. He pointed to the jet ski and said, “I forgot we own one of those.”
“We might have time to play around with it before the storm moves in,” Sawyer said. He smiled wickedly and gestured toward the golf clubs. “Or we could play a round.”
“Hard pass,” Royce said without managing to sneer.
Sawyer chuckled. “Let’s get a move on.”
Sawyer climbed behind the golf cart’s steering wheel, and Royce rode shotgun. He drove out of their driveway but stopped in the middle of the street when Frank opened his door and waved them down.
“Storm’s coming, fellas,” the older man called out. “Are you prepared?”
Sawyer looked at Royce and arched a dark brow. “Told you so.” Sawyer turned back to Frank before he could reply. “Yes, sir. We’re in good shape. I’m heading to the general store for a few things to be on the safe side. Need anything?”
“No, but thank you.”
Sawyer waved, then gave the golf cart some gas. The general store was usually pretty busy, but it seemed more crowded than usual.
“You can tell the difference between the tourists and the islanders by the groceries they’re hauling out of the store before a storm,” Sawyer said. He tipped his head to an older gentleman who had bottled water, chips, canned items, and a bottle of bourbon.